Tuesday, November 22, 2011

VEGAN MANNA BREAD STUFFING

Ingredients:
·         1 loaf sprouted Manna bread (SunSeed, Multigrain, Millet Rice or Whole Rye)
or:
·         1 loaf Manna Organics Bavarian Sourdough bread

·         1 cup chopped blanched carrots
·         1 ½ cups chopped onions
·         1 cup chopped celery
·         1 cup olive oil or Earth Balance spread
·         4 cups vegetable broth
·         1 tbs dried sage (fresh sage: use 6 leaves)
·         2 tbs Spike or other herbal seasoning
·         salt and pepper
·         sliced amonds, raisins, cranberries to taste. Soak for 1 hr in a little water before using.


Directions:
Cut bread into 1 inch cubes into a Pyrex pan. Preheat oven to 370 F.
Sautee the onions, celery and carrots. Add the sage, Spike, salt and pepper. Mix into the pyrex pan with the bread cubes. Now, add the soaked almonds, raisins and/or cranberries.
Add broth. You want the bread moist but not soggy.
Cover and bake for 30 min. at 370 F. Then remove cover and continue baking for approx. 30 minutes, until the top is crusty.



Happy Holidays from your Manna team!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

WHITE BREAD, BLOOD SUGAR SPIKES & ALTERNATIVES

The Glycemic Index is a numerical scale used to indicate how fast and how high a particular food can raise our blood sugar (blood glucose) level. Foods with a high Glycemic Index, like white bread, typically cause rapid spikes in blood sugar.
Highly processed white flour is missing the two most nutritious and fiber-rich parts of the seed: the outside bran layer and the germ. The more refined and processed a food is, the higher is its Glycemic Index, and the faster are sugars present in that food absorbed. What happens then is, when the blood sugar level is too high, the body reacts by pumping insulin from the pancreas into the system, which leads to a lower energy level after the initial sugar pike. This is why many people feel fatigue.
As a result of a diet of refined foods, many people end up malnourished, constipated, enervated and vulnerable to chronic illness.
Moreover, any bread made with flour can cause blood sugar level spikes, because when grains are ground into flour, the surface area upon which enzymes work increases, such that they quickly convert starch into glucose.  
This does not mean that one should not eat any bread anymore!
A very healthy alternative is Sprouted Bread: It is high in protein and fiber, low in carbohydrates and contains no added sugars – all of which makes it a low glycemic food, beneficial for diabetics and anyone trying to maintain a healthy body.
Sprouting grains and seeds before baking produces a living, nutrient-rich food similar to vegetables. Bread made from freshly sprouted grains does not contain any flour, but instead contains all of the fiber, bran, and full portions of the original vitamins and minerals - i.e. it contains approximately 100% of the nutrients that are diminished or removed from white bread: calcium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, copper, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid.

Besides increasing the amounts of valuable nutrients and vitamins, the sprouting process also causes a natural change that makes the protein and carbohydrates easier for the body to use. In fact, sprouts are lower in carbohydrates and calories than the original grains from which they were sprouted.
If you haven’t done so yet – try our 100% organic, sprouted Manna Breads!